Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a famous one. In fact, when I searched for a picture, I found oodles of movie covers. And WHY was I searching for a picture? Because it turns out the story, like many good ones, was based on reality. William Brodie was a respected man and Decon of Edinburgh... by day. At night, he could be found in the parts of town you wouldn't walk through at night, or during the day, if you had the option not to. He was hung for murdering many people, but beforehand he put a tube down his throat to prevent his neck from snapping. After the hanging, his friends rushed his coffin home so a private doctor could try and revive him. When they opened the casket, it was empty. Did he escape death?